Oct. 5--This Wednesday, the pro basketball team formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics will take the floor for its exhibition season debut as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Supes-to-Thunder makeover includes a logo change, from the green and gold "S," which somehow resembled a "G," to an "OKC" pattern combining light blue (representing Oklahoma's state flag), yellow (representing the sun), crimson (representing the University of Oklahoma) and reddish orange (representing Oklahoma State).
"It takes an immense amount of work, and it does take some time," general manager Sam Presti said last month during the ceremonial unveiling of the Thunder logo. Much of the work, presumably, required eliminating four nicknames that also were considered: Barons, Marshals and Bison and -- no joke -- Energy.
But Thunder prevailed.
"There's just all kinds of good thunder images and thoughts," owner Clay Bennett pointed out. "It's very powerful."
Powerful, at least, until Robert Swift is sharing court time with Johan Petro. You can take the basketball team out of the Evergreen State, but can't you deny the evergreen state the basketball team.
By any nickname, this is essentially the same overmatched, under-developed group that limped out of Seattle with a 20-62 record. Training camp has opened with newcomers Russell Westbrook, D.J. White and Kyle Weaver joining such veterans as Damien Wilkins, Chris Wilcox and Earl Watson, setting up the possibility that Oklahoma City could finish the year with more W's on the roster than in the standings.
A dismal season that recalls the Sonics' final year in Seattle -- where fans stayed home in droves despite the emergence of Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant -- would not break my heart.
My indifferent attitude -- all right, my cold and spiteful attitude -- is curious, for I hold no grudges toward the players, or coach P.J. Carlesimo, or his assistants. For that matter, I've got nothing against Presti, the child-prodigy GM, aside from his habit of using annoying words such as "culture," "prioritizing" and "dialogue."
But as I track the Thunder from afar, as I note how the ownership devoted more effort and imagination toward the blue, yellow, crimson and reddish-orange logo than its casually delivered pitch to the state Legislature in Olympia, I can't deny my wish for the relocation operation to fail.
Just lose, baby. Just lose, and trade imprudently, and draft unwisely, and keep paying Robert Swift $2,601,113 a season for averaging 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds over eight games.
In the meantime, keep this thought: Throughout the history of the NBA, good things seem to happen -- and happen immediately -- to sports markets that lose an NBA franchise.
